St. Bride (St. Brigid) by John Duncan

The first time we saw this beautiful picture, we had to stop and stare. We learned the scene is from a legend of St. Brigid (St. Brid or Bride in the original Irish), that she was carried by angels across the seas and the centuries from medieval Ireland to Bethlehem in Judea, so she could be present at the birth of Jesus. The story goes on that Brigid became Jesus’s foster mother, and that she served as Mary’s mid-wife and helped hide Jesus from Herod. Such was the faith of the Irish that Brigid was regarded just below Mary. She is revered next to Patrick as one of the great Irish Saints. St. Brigid was born in Ireland about 457 AD, the daughter of a pagan father and a Christian mother. Throughout her life she was noted for her piety and her kindness to the poor. She founded a monastery in Kildare which lasted for 700 years until it was destroyed in the 12th Century. There are several medieval books of her life which collected oral traditions about her. She died about 525. Her feast day is February 1. Among other things, she is a patron Saint of babies.John Duncan, a famous Scottish painter, composed this beautiful painting in 1913. It involves two of our favorite art styles, Pre-Raphaelite and Art Nouveau. The robes of the angels are decorated with the scenes from the life of Christ, and according to the Scottish National Gallery (which holds the piece), may include the artist's self-portrait as the tiny clown (a holy fool) accompanying the procession of the magi on the leading angel's gown.We usually don't offer our vintage prints in 11x14", but this one is a high res file so it looks good large, and there is just so much detail in the print, we thought some people would like a bigger print. Standard sizes. Easy to find a ready-made frame at your local Hobby Lobby. If you're sending this as a gift and would like us to frame it for you, please convo and we'll make special arrangements for you. We print it on special art paper with archival quality pigments, rated to last for many generations without fading when kept out of the direct sun. – 8.5 x 11" acid-free paper– Archival pigments, rated to last for generations.– Cardboard backer– Above story of the art– Enclosed in a tight-fitting, crystal clear bag.** IMPORTANT ** There is about an inch-and-a-third of white space around the picture, so the image is smaller than the paper.Thanks!Sue & John